I practiced Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do for several years, and even supported myself at times by teaching self defense classes. Using the core of JKD, which you can simplify to "If it is efficient and doesn't waste motion, and it works... steal it for yourself", I've absorbed a lot of useful knowledge from fighting and sparring with more styles/approaches than I really care to list. I also have some Krav Maga, as well as second hand S.C.A.R.S. and MCMAP under my belt.
On my own, I've only had to handle two or three attackers at a time. It is an entirely different animal compared to a one on one fight. The principles are still the same, analyze weakness and exploit it, but you don't have the luxury of trading probative jabs while you pace the other guy.
Ideally, you assess the group dynamic as quick as possible. You pick the weakest of the group and take him out of the fight fast (this could be the overweight guy, the really slow guy, the or just one wearing sunglasses at ten o'clock at night in the club parking lot). Next up, you take out that lanky/skinny/twitchy guy. Only then do you take their alpha down.
Anyone who is familiar with somatotypes will translate the above as 1)Endomorph, 2)Ectomorph and 3)Mesomorph.
Of course, since they aren't going to wait patiently while you attempt this, a la the Walker Texas Ranger method (form a neat queue, remembering to wait for me to roundhouse kick your buddy before you step forward), you'll probably have to engage all three at the same time. Joint locks and manipulations are great for this. Anything you can do to even temporarily incapacitate an attacker so you can put their body between you and the fists, feet, blades and bludgeons coming your way, ratchets up your chances of remaining intact after the end of the encounter.
The worst encounter I was in happened when I was still in my late teens. I had a good foundation of WC and had started to train in line with JKD, but at the time I got by more on my reach, reflexes, speed, and luck more often than actual skill. A friend and I saw an acquaintance of ours being harassed by, well, lets just call it a gang. The situation was rapidly deteriorating. My friend and I exchanged a sort of "Yeah, we're really going to do this, aren't we," look and set in to intervene right as the first blow landed.
The guy was on the ground and surrounded in a flash. My friend and I just carved our way through them. We fought dirty. I was wearing boots, and I had no qualms about stomping the sides of people's knees or ankles. I felt a kind of a juvenile aura of badassery come over me as I piston kicked one guy hard enough to knock down two others with his falling body.
In a blur, my friend and I had managed to join the victim in the center of the attention. Any breathing room was made on our way in quickly evaporated as enemy reinforcements arrived. My friend headbutted one guy perfectly, and while a lot of the fight is a big blur, I'll never forget that sound. It was a combination of a thunk, a crunch and a loud squish. Then screaming.
There was one major problem with our plan: We didn't have what you would call an exit strategy. Full of myself, my ego casting me in the roll of every martial arts movie...ever, I told my friend I'd hold them off, just take the victim and go.
So, I ended up fighting alone in an alleyway before I was finally able to disengage. The timely arrival of a squad car made a great cover for my escape.
Only in the aftermath did I realize how serious things were, and how lucky I had been. While it was happening, I wasn't even aware of getting hit. During my self inventory I found that wasn't the case. I also had a couple of cuts. Apparently there had been at least one knife involved. I don't even remember seeing it, but since the blade wasn't buried in my belly I chose to believe I dealt with it properly.
On my own, I've only had to handle two or three attackers at a time. It is an entirely different animal compared to a one on one fight. The principles are still the same, analyze weakness and exploit it, but you don't have the luxury of trading probative jabs while you pace the other guy.
Ideally, you assess the group dynamic as quick as possible. You pick the weakest of the group and take him out of the fight fast (this could be the overweight guy, the really slow guy, the or just one wearing sunglasses at ten o'clock at night in the club parking lot). Next up, you take out that lanky/skinny/twitchy guy. Only then do you take their alpha down.
Anyone who is familiar with somatotypes will translate the above as 1)Endomorph, 2)Ectomorph and 3)Mesomorph.
Of course, since they aren't going to wait patiently while you attempt this, a la the Walker Texas Ranger method (form a neat queue, remembering to wait for me to roundhouse kick your buddy before you step forward), you'll probably have to engage all three at the same time. Joint locks and manipulations are great for this. Anything you can do to even temporarily incapacitate an attacker so you can put their body between you and the fists, feet, blades and bludgeons coming your way, ratchets up your chances of remaining intact after the end of the encounter.
The worst encounter I was in happened when I was still in my late teens. I had a good foundation of WC and had started to train in line with JKD, but at the time I got by more on my reach, reflexes, speed, and luck more often than actual skill. A friend and I saw an acquaintance of ours being harassed by, well, lets just call it a gang. The situation was rapidly deteriorating. My friend and I exchanged a sort of "Yeah, we're really going to do this, aren't we," look and set in to intervene right as the first blow landed.
The guy was on the ground and surrounded in a flash. My friend and I just carved our way through them. We fought dirty. I was wearing boots, and I had no qualms about stomping the sides of people's knees or ankles. I felt a kind of a juvenile aura of badassery come over me as I piston kicked one guy hard enough to knock down two others with his falling body.
In a blur, my friend and I had managed to join the victim in the center of the attention. Any breathing room was made on our way in quickly evaporated as enemy reinforcements arrived. My friend headbutted one guy perfectly, and while a lot of the fight is a big blur, I'll never forget that sound. It was a combination of a thunk, a crunch and a loud squish. Then screaming.
There was one major problem with our plan: We didn't have what you would call an exit strategy. Full of myself, my ego casting me in the roll of every martial arts movie...ever, I told my friend I'd hold them off, just take the victim and go.
So, I ended up fighting alone in an alleyway before I was finally able to disengage. The timely arrival of a squad car made a great cover for my escape.
Only in the aftermath did I realize how serious things were, and how lucky I had been. While it was happening, I wasn't even aware of getting hit. During my self inventory I found that wasn't the case. I also had a couple of cuts. Apparently there had been at least one knife involved. I don't even remember seeing it, but since the blade wasn't buried in my belly I chose to believe I dealt with it properly.
